Patents Represented by Law Firm Konneker & Bush
  • Patent number: 5370576
    Abstract: A forced flow of outside ventilation air may be selectively directed into the cab of a truck using a specially designed fan assembly that works in conjunction with an existing vent structure disposed within a ventilation passage extending through a wall of the cab. The existing vent structure has a control member which is manually operable from the interior of the cab to selectively permit or preclude outside air inflow to the cab interior through the ventilation passage. The fan assembly includes a housing having an open front side, and an open rear side secured to the cab wall portion over the inner side of the ventilation passage. A cover plate having a pair of air flow openings therein is secured to the front side of the housing for pivotal movement relative thereto between a closed position in which the cover plate blocks the front housing side, and an open position providing manual access to the vent structure control member through the housing interior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignees: Eleanor L. Sackett, Jon W. Krofchalk
    Inventor: Gary F. Krofchalk
  • Patent number: 5370529
    Abstract: A fuel-fired, forced air draft induced heating furnace is provided with NO.sub.x reduction apparatus associated with a plurality of combustor tubes forming a portion of its heat exchanger structure. In-shot type fuel burners are spaced apart from and face the open inlet ends of horizontal combustion sections of the combustor tubes. The NO.sub.x reduction apparatus includes a plurality of metal mesh tubes having diameters substantially less than the internal diameters of the combustion tubes. The mesh tubes are coaxially supported within the combustor tubes, adjacent their inlet ends, by elongated support members longitudinally passing through the mesh tubes and having first ends anchored to the combustor tube inlet ends, and second ends slidably resting on internal side surface portions of the combustor tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Rheem Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Lin-Tao Lu, Larry R. Mullens, Keith M. Grahl
  • Patent number: 5365891
    Abstract: An inlet water turbulator body is coaxially secured within the lower end of an inlet water supply dip tube vertically disposed with the storage tank portion of a water heater. A spaced plurality of vertically spiraling passages extend through the turbulator body and are operative, in response to discharge of hot water from the storage tank through its outlet fitting, to receive pressurized inlet water within the dip tube and discharge the received water from a the lower end of the turbulator body in a water discharge pattern that impinges upon the lower tank end wall with substantial vertically directed and horizontally swirling force components to thereby facilitate the dislodgement of sediment from the lower tank end wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Assignee: Rheem Manufacturing Company
    Inventor: David M. Hanning
  • Patent number: 5367499
    Abstract: Disclosed is a vibration isolation module for a towed hydrophone streamer comprising: (1) a first outboard transition unit having an outboard end and an inboard end, the outboard end of the first outboard unit capable of receiving a first tension member, the first tension member terminating within the first outboard unit, the inboard end of the first outboard unit capable of receiving second and third tension members, the second tension member entering, looping back and exiting the inboard end of the first outboard unit, the third tension member terminating within the first outboard unit and (2) a first inboard transition unit having an outboard end and an inboard end, the outboard end of the first inboard unit capable of receiving the second and third tension members, the second tension member passing through the first inboard unit, the third tension member terminating within the first inboard unit, the inboard end of the first inboard unit capable of receiving a fourth tension member, the fourth tension mem
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Assignee: Whitehall Corporation
    Inventors: Charles L. Morningstar, Tracy G. Gill
  • Patent number: 5367670
    Abstract: A system manager for a computer system. The system manager transparently monitors signals transferred between computer system components along a system bus and stores objects related to the monitored signals in an object space. Information related to operating conditions within the system can then be provided from the object space. Later, the object space can be updated and the updated object space used to provide updated information regarding the operating conditions of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald G. Ward, Scott C. Farrand, Thomas J. Hernandez, Ronald A. Neyland, Richard A. Stupek, James E. Barron, Cheryl X. Chen, Lih-Juan L. Danielson, Richard P. Mangold, Mitchell R. Wiley, Andrew J. Miller, Said S. Saadeh, Paul R. Fulton, Richard A. Kunz, Arthur D. Heald, Dinesh K. Sharma
  • Patent number: 5365645
    Abstract: A page wide ink jet printhead body is formed using first and second series of identically configured rectangular piezoceramic blocks having widths not greater than about one inch. The individual blocks are poled in widthwise directions and secured to one another and to an upper side surface of a nonpoled piezoceramic lower body section. Horizontally equally spaced saw cuts are then made downwardly through the first and second block series, with the block width being an even multiple of the horizontal saw cut pitch, and saw cuts extending vertically through the aligned side junctures of each block series. A top, nonpoled piezoceramic body section is then secured to the top side of the second block series, the saw cuts forming within the resulting printhead body a spaced series of parallel ink receiving channels interdigitated with a spaced series of piezoelectrically deflectable sidewall actuator sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventors: Kelsey R. Walker, Carol C. Scalf, Daniel B. Granzow
  • Patent number: 5347980
    Abstract: A fuel-fired forced air condensing furnace has installed therein a recuperative heat exchanger assembly with a primary heat exchange section operative, during furnace operation, to transfer sensible combustion gas heat to air being flowed through the furnace, and a secondary heat exchange section operative to transfer latent combustion gas heat to the air. The secondary heat exchange section includes a finned tube heat exchanger structure extending between spaced apart combustion gas inlet and outlet collector boxes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 20, 1994
    Assignee: Rheem Manufacturing Company
    Inventor: Timothy J. Shellenberger
  • Patent number: 5345256
    Abstract: The body of a piezoelectrically operable ink jet printhead is mounted in an upper side surface groove formed in a mounting plate member. A rear bottom section of the printhead body has an exposed top side surface portion which is flush with the top side of the mounting plate member and terminates forwardly of its rear end. A high density parallel array of mutually spaced linear conductive traces is formed on this exposed top side surface portion of the printhead body, these traces being used to transmit electrical operating signals from a separate electronic driver to piezoelectrically drivable channel sidewall sections within the interior of the printhead body. A multi-tiered printed circuit board secured to the top side of the mounting plate member is used to connect the printhead to the electronic driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1994
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventor: James L. Stortz
  • Patent number: 5340340
    Abstract: A series of hard disk drives are secured atop molded plastic support trays slidably and removably received in opposing guide channel member pairs snap-fitted into opposite side walls of a sheet metal cage structure externally used in conjunction with a file server or other computer device. Snap-fitted into rear end portions of the trays are small printed circuit boards that are insertable into hot plug sockets at the rear of the cage. Forwardly projecting guard plates on the rear end of the cage block manual access to the board/socket interface, and the surface mounted grounding leads on the board extend rearwardly beyond its signal leads to enhance grounding safety during disk drive installation and removal. At the front end of each tray is a vertical support plate upon which LED indicating lights are conveniently mounted for the associated disk drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventors: Robert J. Hastings, Paily T. Varghese, Dennis J. Alexander, James F. Babb, John R. Bradshaw
  • Patent number: 5340134
    Abstract: A hand-carryable trailer and a method for deploying and stowing the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Inventor: Thomas L. Dodson
  • Patent number: 5340814
    Abstract: The present invention provides a novel series of 3-substituted methyl-2,3-dihydroimidazo[1,2-c]quinazoline compounds. These compounds are found useful as an active ingredient for the treatment of hypertension and dysuria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Assignee: National Science Council
    Inventors: Ji-Wang Chern, Guan-Yu Lu, Yue-Jun Lai, Mao-Hsiung Yen, Pao-Luh Tao
  • Patent number: 5336837
    Abstract: A process for separating p-diethylbenzene from a diethylbenzene isomers mixture by selective adsorption of p-diethylbenzene on a silicalite adsorbent is disclosed in the present invention, wherein a compressed high pressure CO.sub.2 or propane is used as a carrier for carrying a fixed amount of the diethylbenzene isomers mixture to the silicalite adsorbent bed for the selective adsorption, a first stage effluent stream containing a rich meta-diethylbenzene (m-DEB) and/or ortho-diethylbenzene (o-DEB), but having substantially no para-diethylbenzene (p-DEB) is eluted from the adsorbent bed; when p-DEB of the mixture starts to appear in the first stage effluent stream, a much higher pressurized CO.sub.2 or propane used as a desorbent is then fed into the adsorbent bed, and a second stage effluent stream conaining a rich p-DEB, but having substantially no other DEB isomers is thereby eluted from the adsorbent bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 9, 1994
    Assignee: Taiwan Styrene Monomer Corporation
    Inventors: Chung-Sung Tan, Shiaw-Tseh Chiang
  • Patent number: 5334415
    Abstract: A method for film coated passivation of individual grooves or channels in an array of closely spaced grooves or channels of a workpiece, for example, ink channels in a printhead employed in an ink jet printer device; includes the steps of placing the workpiece on a rotation plate having a rotational center, securing the workpiece to the rotation plate with the grooves directed radially outward from the rotational center of the rotation plate, placing resin upon the workpiece in the vicinity of the grooves, and spinning the rotation plate to cause the resin to migrate along the surfaces of the grooves and thereby coating them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1994
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventors: Donald J. Hayes, John R. Pies
  • Patent number: 5335005
    Abstract: A laser printer is provided with the ability to receive and sequentially print portions of an image substantially larger than the cut paper sheet size or sizes the printer is ordinarily configured to handle. The outsized image to be printed is input to the printer controller and stored in its memory. An oversized cut paper sheet is then folded in half and placed in the printer's manual feed area with the folded side edge of the sheet against an alignment guide and the doubled front edge of the sheet against the edge sensor portion of the printer. The printer's "PRINT" button is then pressed. Via operation of the printer controller microprocessor, a first signal representative of half the stored image is responsively output to the printer's laser generator, thereby imprinting the image half on the underside of the folded sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1994
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventor: Charles A. Sellers
  • Patent number: 5335284
    Abstract: A coneless, no-moving-parts dynamic speaker has its internal components firmly locked within a plastic housing structure to prevent their movement relative to the housing, and may be secured to a wall of a room. During operation of the speaker, mechanical sound energy that it creates is transmitted through the walls and ceiling of the room to provide an expanded sound generation pattern. The internal components of the speaker include a voice coil internally anchored to a wall of the housing, an annular magnet member sandwiched between and fixedly secured to first and second annular metal washer members, and a metal alignment shaft having one end closely received in the core portion of the voice coil, and an opposite, radially enlarged end press-fitted into one of the washers and forming with the side surface of the central magnet member opening a reverberation chamber which is closely adjacent the voice coil but does not physically receive the coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1994
    Inventor: James W. Lemons
  • Patent number: 5333475
    Abstract: A conventional tunnel-type continuous batch washer is modified for use as a commercial bleaching machine by (1) lowering the rotational oscillation angle and speed of the machine's inner drum structure relative to its normal washing settings; (2) altering the water counterflow positioning and characteristics; (3) maintaining the water in the various inner drum section modules at essentially identical, relatively high levels; and (4) modifying the bath temperature characteristics of the machine. When utilized as a commercial bleaching machine the modified tunnel washer has a bleach zone disposed at its inlet end and into which a hydrogen peroxide bleaching solution is injected, a finish zone disposed at its outlet end and into which a softening agent is injected, and a water-only rinse zone positioned between the bleach and finish zones. Each of these three zones is defined by one or more inner drum structure modules which may be tandem or single batch modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1994
    Inventors: Donald J. Edmundson, Sherman H. Sheppard
  • Patent number: 5334299
    Abstract: A water heater includes a metal storage tank for holding a quantity of water to be heated. Extending into the interior of the tank is a sacrificial anode assembly operative to inhibit corrosion of the tank and including a cylindrical metal anode member having an end retained within a cylindrical plastic insulating sleeve which, in turn, is captively retained within a metal cap portion of the assembly. To regulate the amount of electrical current generated by the assembly during use thereof, a barrel-shaped resistor is supported within the assembly and interconnected between its anode and cap portions. The insulating sleeve has a generally U-shaped groove formed in a closed end thereof, with one leg of the groove extending diametrically across a central opening in the sleeve end that receiving a core wire portion of the anode member, and the other groove leg extending generally chordwise relative to the sleeve end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1994
    Assignee: Rheem Manufacturing Company
    Inventor: James S. Roden
  • Patent number: 5332306
    Abstract: A pair of disk drives are mounted in a compact side-by-side relationship in two adjacent bays of an internal sheet metal computer housing chassis using a snap-in mounting system including two opposing pairs of parallel sheet metal guide channel members snapped into place within specially configured openings in parallel bay walls of the chassis, and pairs of elongated plastic retainer members secured to and longitudinally extending along opposite sides of the disk drives. To quickly mount the disk drives within their chassis bays, each retainer member pair is simply pushed rearwardly into and longitudinally through an associated opposing pair of the guide channel members until the disk drive reaches its operating position within its chassis bay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 26, 1994
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventors: James F. Babb, Roberta M. Madsen
  • Patent number: 5331754
    Abstract: An elongated resilient wedge and spool retaining structure longitudinally extends through generally aligned openings formed in a replaceable excavating tooth point, and an adapter nose portion received in a tapered socket within the tooth point, to captively hold the tooth point in place on the adapter nose. The retaining structure includes a tapered spool member having an enlarged side portion received in the tooth socket and blocking removal of the spool member, and a tapered wedge member driven into the tooth and adapter openings to a position in which longitudinally extending series of ratchet teeth on facing sides of the spool and wedge members are intermeshed and releasably lock the structure in place within the tooth and adapter assembly. A recess formed in a nontoothed side of the wedge member receives a locking member that forcibly bears against a surface portion of the adapter nose opening and is movable into the recess in a manner compressing a plurality of elastomeric members therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 26, 1994
    Assignee: GH Hensley Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: John A. Ruvang
  • Patent number: 5329214
    Abstract: To improve the reliability and lower the cost of electronic control circuits for direct current (DC) motors, the need for external mechanical sensors is eliminated through the use of low cost, highly reliable voltage comparator circuits. A motor driver integrated circuit provides for electronic storage of data, automatic execution of computer programs, and input/output transfer of various electronic signals used in the control of the DC motor. The voltage comparator circuits sense the operating state of the DC motor by comparing the motor current sense voltage, which is proportional to the torque of the motor, to threshold fixed reference voltages to determine whether the DC motor is running normally or is stalled. The motor driver IC stops or reverses the DC motor when it is stalled, thereby preventing damage and providing for fully automatic operation without external sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 12, 1994
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventors: Ralph K. Williamson, Michael J. Dougherty, Phillip M. O'Hara